Method of making coated ornamental objects



July 18, 1944. M. c. MEYER METHOD OF MAKING COATED ORNAMENTAL OBJECTS Filed Nov. 24, 1941 INVENTOR BY M i Patente d July 18, 1944 METHOD OF MAKING COATED ORNAMENTAL OBJECTS Maximilian 0. Meyer, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application November 24, 1941, Serial No. 420,270

. 1 Claim. ('01. 117-66) My invention relates to a method of making a novel product comprising a resinous object such as a sphere having a hole extending therethrough and, a pearl essence coatin'g over said sphere.

More particularly my invention relates to the formation of a simulated pearl of exceptional 'light weight by forming a sphere of a suitable resin such as methyl methacrylate sold under the trade name of Lucite," boring a hole through said sphere, forming' a protective coating over the resinous sphere, said coating extending over the bored opening and dipping said protected sphere of resinous material in a lacquer solution normally capable of attacking the resinous body.

Simulated pearls have long been made by forming on a glass bead a coating of pearl essence and solvent. When such beads are made in larger sizes, however, the aggregate weight of such beads on strings is quite heavy and hence to a certain extent objectionable.

Inasmuch as a bead normally comprises a relatively large number ofindividual spheres, it is impractical to make such simulated pearls from spheres of any large diameter because of the high weight involved.

I have used light resinous materials for the casting base for such decorative spheres, but it has been impractical to work with such resinous materials because of the attack upon the resinous materials-by the solvents employed in the pearl essence solution and more particularly because it has been impractical to bore a hole in the resinous sphere before dipping in the pearl essence solution because of the fact that the pearl essence solution, upon entering the bored opening, deleteriously attacks and afiects the resinous body.

Inasmuch as the normal method of dipping comprises placing such bored spheres on small sticks and dipping in the pearl essence solution, no practical method of making such decorative. spheres has been available. v

I have found that I may employ -"a resinous sphere of methyl methacrylate having a bored opening extending therethrough by protecting the bored sphere by first coating said resinous sphere with a protective colloid such as gelatine in such a way that the protective coating extends over the bored opening and protects that opening against penetration by subsequent applications. The so protected resinous sphere may then be dipped in a solution of pearl essence in a suitable solvent such as amyl acetate without being attacked, and the film coating extending over the opening may, after the pearl essence coating is dried, be perforated by some suitable perforating pin.

It is the object of my invention to provide a novel decorative sphere having a' plastic base.

' It is a further object of my invention to provide a decorative sphere comprising a plastic base and having a protective coating extending thereover with an outer coating of pearl essence.

It is a further object of my invention to protect a resinous base sphere against solvent attack in the manufacture of simulated pearls. I

These and further objects of my invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawing, a description of which here follows.

Figure 1 is a cross section of a plastic sphere having an opening bored therethrough.

Figure 2 is a cross section of the bored plastic spher mounted on a dipping pin with the protective coating extending over the resinous I sphere and over the opening.

Figure 3 shows the resinous sphere with the coating of pearl essence extending thereover and barred from access to the interior by the protective gelatine coating.

Figure 4 is a cross section showing the completed pearls essence coated sphere with the film coatings over the bored opening, perforated.

Referring now more specifically to the drawmg, in Figure 1 I show a sphere l0 which may be formed of a'suitable resin such as methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, or any suitable condensation or polymerization product. I may also employ cellulosic esters, such as cellulose acetate and cellulose nitrate and other cellulosic derivatives.

\ The plastic is formed by some suitable ball shaping means into the spherical shape desired and the sphere In is then bored to form the bead hole II which extends through the sphere ID. The plastic sphere in is then mounted on a suitable supporting pin II, the tapering point ll of which extends into the hole ll. Thus supported the plastic sphere in which, as stated may comprise a methyl methacrylate resin sold under the trade name of Lucite," is then dipped suitably to form a gelatine coating 15 thereover. The gelatine coating l5 completely protects the methyl methacrylate resin against any subsequently applied coatings or constituents of such coatings and this gelatine coating 15 extends over the bored hole I l.

The gelatine coated methyl methacrylate I tate, and after such dipping it is dried to provide the external coating it of pearl essence which imparts to the sphere a beautiful sheen simulating the sheen of natural pearls.

The amyl acetate which is solvent for the pearl essence solution would normally attack the methyl methacrylate sphere In both externally and internally through the bored hole I I, but the protective gelatine coating l5 completely blocks any contact between the amyl acetate and the essence solution solvent upon the sensitive plastic base. v 1

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that on the basis of the specific explanation-of my invention given above the same process may be applied to the formation 01' similar articles in material employed.

10'. methyl methacrylate. After the pearl essence In addition to using gelatine as a protective coating, I may alternatively use other suitable inert barrier coatings which will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Various other modifications of my invention will suggestthemselves to those skilled in the art. I accordingly desire that in construing the breadth of the appended claim that they, shall not be limited to the specific details shown and described in connection with the above explanation.

I claim:

The method of forming a simulated pearl which comprises coating a plastic sphere having a hole extending therethrough with a protective coating that extends over and blocks one end 01' said opening, coating said protected sphere with a coating of pearl essence in a solvent which would deleteriously attack said plastic sphere, and finally rupturing said coating over said hole after said solvent has substantially evaporated.

MAXIMIIJAN MEYER. 

